Battle Arena Toshinden 4
Encyclopedia
Toshinden 4 is the fourth installment of the fighting game series Battle Arena Toshinden
. Unlike previous installments, it only saw release in Japan
and the PAL region
. It was released a total of three times in the UK.
It originally came out on June 30, 2000, and it was re-released on The White Label Range on April 12, 2001. It was re-released again by Play It On, November 20, 2003.
Team 2
Team 3
, Suzaku
, Seiryu
and Genbu
. The weapons also seem to change appearance depending on the user. While the Byakko no tachi (White Tiger Fang) is usually seen as a rather plain katana, the Seiryuu no yari (Azure Dragon Spear) was a long leaf tipped spear while held by Mondo, yet altered to an ornate golden rod in the hands of Eos. As a purely cosmetic addition, when using a certain attack, an image of the beast associated with the weapon will display in the background.
Plotwise, it was said that when all four weapons were gathered together, they would bestow tremendous power on a person. Most characters in the game have their endings based around uniting the weapons and receiving the power of them. In some endings, they use this power to speak to a parent or loved one. However, Eiji's ending reveals the true nature of the power behind the weapons: It is the "Toshin", or god of fighting. This being is definitely not the one worshiped by the main antagonist group of Toshinden 3, Agon Teos, since Vermilion makes a clear distinction between the two in his own ending.
Battle Arena Toshinden
is a weapons-based fighting game for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC in 1994. It was one of the first fighting games to boast polygonal characters in a 3D environment, and it is credited for taking the genre into "true 3-D" due to its introduction of the sidestep maneuver.It was an early killer...
. Unlike previous installments, it only saw release in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
. It was released a total of three times in the UK.
It originally came out on June 30, 2000, and it was re-released on The White Label Range on April 12, 2001. It was re-released again by Play It On, November 20, 2003.
Story
Eiji Shinjo, the new leader of an organization called the "Gerard Foundation", has organized a fourth Toshinden tournament which revolves around the gathering of four holy weapons that can be used to save the world or to destroy it. However, Eiji's old enemy from the third tournament ten years ago, Vermillion, is also after the four weapons. Can Eiji stop Vermillion before it's too late?Initially playable characters
Team 1- Subaru Shinjo
- Naru Amoh
- Rook Castle
Team 2
- Puella Marionette
- Lancelot Lakeknight
- Fen Barefoot
Team 3
- Genma
- Miyabi
- Bang-Boo
Four Sacred Arms
A plot point introduced in this game focused on the Four Sacred Arms. Though seen in full since Battle Arena Toshinden 2, their relevance was never previously brought up. Each weapon bears a reference to one of the Chinese cardinal beasts, ByakkoWhite Tiger (Chinese constellation)
The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West , and is known as Baihu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, Baekho in Korean and Bạch Hổ in Vietnamese...
, Suzaku
Vermilion Bird (Chinese constellation)
The Vermilion bird is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-element, the direction south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion bird of the South...
, Seiryu
Azure Dragon (Chinese constellation)
The Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It represents the east and the spring season. It should not be confused with the mythological yellow dragon that is associated with the Emperor of China...
and Genbu
Black Tortoise (Chinese constellation)
The Black Tortoise is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the Black Warrior of the North , and is known as Xuanwu in Chinese, Genbu in Japanese, Hyeonmu in Korean and Huyền Vũ in Vietnamese. It represents the north and the winter season...
. The weapons also seem to change appearance depending on the user. While the Byakko no tachi (White Tiger Fang) is usually seen as a rather plain katana, the Seiryuu no yari (Azure Dragon Spear) was a long leaf tipped spear while held by Mondo, yet altered to an ornate golden rod in the hands of Eos. As a purely cosmetic addition, when using a certain attack, an image of the beast associated with the weapon will display in the background.
Plotwise, it was said that when all four weapons were gathered together, they would bestow tremendous power on a person. Most characters in the game have their endings based around uniting the weapons and receiving the power of them. In some endings, they use this power to speak to a parent or loved one. However, Eiji's ending reveals the true nature of the power behind the weapons: It is the "Toshin", or god of fighting. This being is definitely not the one worshiped by the main antagonist group of Toshinden 3, Agon Teos, since Vermilion makes a clear distinction between the two in his own ending.